The Tendrils of Corruption
by yz611999
Summary: The League is slowly being corrupted, and no one realizes it but a select few. Can they stop the rise of this new threat, the threat within the League? Or shall the corruption spread over Valoran and consume the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Demacian Palace, 14 years ago_

It was bright outside, and all the young children played outside on the sparkling marble roads, laughing and shouting with each other. All except one. Princess Luxanna Crownguard was inside the palace, learning about the Rune Wars from a teacher who probably was present during the wars themselves, and probably being the most bored eight year old in the world. Her brother, the illustrious Garen, had instructed her to learn her vital history instead of associating with the "street rubble" outside. After reading countless biographies about random soldiers, her mind was beginning to spin. Outside, she thought she saw a strange man with a third arm holding a tube pointed at the castle. She turned around to inform her teacher, but instead, all she saw was light.

_She might never be the same again. No person can survive a blast from a shock cannon, especially not a little girl. _The voices filtered through her mind. She rubbed her eyes, fluttered them open, and saw the Demacian High Council gathered around her.

"Luxanna Crownguard, what exactly happened? You were studying, and then your teacher reports that your body had been flung across the room by a giant pulse of energy." Her brother scolded, but it was obvious he was trying to mask tears.

Lux spoke up. "Garen, there was this strange man outside, with 3 arms instead of two. He looked like he was trying to shoot me with something like this," she gestured. Then, Lux exploded into a dazzling array of light.

_Present Day, Institute of War_

Lux threw out all her light spells at once, ending with her iconic laser beam that ripped through the enemy team, ending in a triple kill for her.

"Good job Lux. You seem like a great midlaner." She looked to see who the voice was coming from, but she already knew by its soft tone, its beautiful touch, its warmness. Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer, smiled at her, his two tattoos winking in the sun. She longed to be with Ezreal, to go with him on his dangerous quests, to be in the embrace of his arms. She, as the normal people would say, was in love.

_Freljord_

Lissandra threw back her tent curtains and froze it in place with an ice spell. Outside, she could still hear Ashe and Tryndamere giving their speech, thanking all the foolish Freljordians for their support. They wouldn't know what hit them. Their beloved princess Lissandra was already dead. The Iceborn were on the rise in the mountains, and she and her servant Trundle were about to bring Chaos into the league, the one place on Valoran where everyone believed they were safe. Well, the many tendrils of corruption were surrounding the League already. She was just the one who broke through and let them in.

_Temple of Ionia_

Varus stirred from his long meditation. He could feel the corruption pulling at him, telling him to go where, and do what. But he would not obey. He could not obey. He still remembered the faces of his mother and family, screaming at him as Noxian poisons mutilated their bodies, rendering them cold, stone slabs on the ground. He had to stop it. The Corruption. It was coming, and it was very, very near.

_The Institute_

Ezreal walked through the busy halls of the Institute, his eyes sparkling. Recently, his archaeology paper had been given the highest award by an unknown person after the previous had died under mysterious circumstances. This was going to be his day, the day when he finally got the awards he deserved. He smiled as he walked into his room, reached into the mailbox, and pulled out a letter. The letter read:

Dear Ezreal,

This letter has been approved by the National Exploring Foundation as a means to award you with the prize you deserve, the Gold Division of Archaeology. Please come to the formal ceremony tonight at 7:00 P.M. in the Freljordian wing.

Signed,

L. Iceborn

He happily pulled out from the envelope a golden medal, engraved with text that spoke of his achievements. He giddily went to prepare himself for the ceremony, not noticing the small streams of blue smoke pouring into his ears from the medal. However, one being did notice. Outside, a giant dark-blue bird flew swiftly through the summer sky towards the Freljordian wing, leaving pitch-black snowflakes in its wake.

Of course, as Ezreal strolled through the hallways to his "ceremony", no one noticed his eyes glowing with a faint shade of purple...

_**Hello everybody who is reading. This is my third fanfiction, and the second one was ended abruptly because I ran out of ideas sadly. This time, I will try to plan out the plot ahead of time so I will not end it before it is ready! Any constructive feedback is appreciated, and just as a warning, this is not a happy story and will not end very well. Thank you for reading, and if you have any requests or comments please feel free to add them in on the reviews section!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Blackfrost flew back to the icy wing of the Institute. Her queen stood tall, posing over what seemed like a map with little ice figures moving around.

"My Queen." She spoke, but without moving her beak. Lissandra turned and smiled.

"I assume you have tricked the Explorer?" she asked.

"Yes, mam. He has fallen straight into our trap. We shall.." Anivia stuttered for a second. "use him to destroy the harmony of this world and make it yours." Her composure returned to normal, but for a second there, a different face had appeared within her eyes.

"Good. He shall never get in the way of my plans again… Leave, and go seek out Trundle. We'll need him as the final preparation." Anivia flapped her wings and disappeared in a sparkle of dark icicles.

Lissandra frowned at the being standing in the corner, obscured by the shadows that had appeared there, although the whole room was lighted fully. "Master, it seems Anivia's conscience is still struggling to break through the charm I have cast on her." She nodded for a second, as if listening to a response, although none came. "I shall have her under careful watch."

_Inside a temple inside of the Shurima Desert_

A strange group of characters stood hunched over a scroll. They would look like they would never associate, but there they were. The organization's name was PLH, which stood for "Protectors of Life and Happiness". At the head of the table stood none other than the famous Professor Heimerdinger from Bandle City, dressed in a lab coat with his signature hair puffing up in ridiculous shapes. Next to him stood Fiora from Demacia and Draven from Noxus. Even though they were bitter enemies in public, their arrogant attitudes and common purpose seemed to connect them, although anyone who suggested any romantic feelings was asking for an axe thrown at their head. Next to them stood the famous detective Caitlyn, who was studying the rune with her magnifying glass. In the final seat seemed to contain no one, but everyone knew that Teemo, the Swift Scout, also known amongst summoners as "OMGWTFSTUPID Teemo", though his real personality was cute and furry, always wanting to lend a hand.

Heimerdinger spoke up. "This prophecy written by an ancient wizard speaks of a crisis that should be happening now. Originally, even though this was discovered by our most famed explorer, Ezreal, I had no reason to believe in this unknown prophet. However, recently, Varus has reported strange feelings connected to his heart, and other random events have popped up." Heimerdinger pointed to a spot near Bilgewater, and a miniscule turret instantly popped up and started spraying nonexistent bullets everywhere. "According to a sailor, he was fishing with his boat when suddenly a giant anchor came up, grabbed his boat, and pulled it down into the depths. He managed to get away with his life, but when he looked into the water, all he could see were two giant red spots, staring at him. About 5 miles away, an enormous horse was seen galloping into the distance. Behind him lay a path of ruin and destruction, with no survivors. Behind him galloped a trail of spectral riders, which helped him in his gruesome deeds. Now, I believe that this prophet is correct and that something is happening. What is really horrible, however, is that the root of all this is the League." Heimerdinger coughed into a hankerchief, and stuffed it back into one of his millions of pockets.

Draven snorted. "Draven know no enemy strong enough to crush city. Even Void Attack from years ago and even Draven cannot do that. This must be imaginary tales. Why, Draven kill them easily in one axe. Years ago, when Draven was executioner," he was cut off rudely by Fiora, brandishing her rapier in one fluid slash.

"Draven we have no need for your foolish antics now. I've just received word by Demacian eagle mail. Jax is dead." The room fell to a silence, with even Draven realizing what she had just said. Jax was known as the most feared warrior, and would easily defeat all of them had the League not put restrictions on his power. They stopped talking for a moment, both in honor of the mighty warrior, and in fear of what was happening.

"There's only one thing to do. Track down the source and put an end to it." Caitlyn spoke up. "Take a look at the manuscript. It reads, if my study of ancient text is correct, " four orbs, one dark, one light, one clear, one bright. Only by connection will die the corruption might. From the stars to the sand, from the oceans to the land, let these orbs meet together, and evil die forever." Does anyone have any clue as to where these orbs could be? I for one have never heard nor seen any of them."

The room seemed full of empty faces, until a small, squeaky voice was heard. "When Tristana brought me to Bandle City, I remember overhearing that Veigar tried to steal the rocket because of some strange sort of dark energy coming from it that seemed to be stronger than his own."

Caitlyn nodded. "Teemo, you keep an eye on the Institute with your mushrooms, which I'm sure you already do, with those pictures of Janna and Ahri which pop up everywhere. Fiora and Draven will go handle Bandle City, while me and Heimer go follow this 4 orbs business."

_In the Institute_

Ezreal walked into the large hall, looking around at the splendor. He noticed a small pile of rags in the corner, but decided not to ask about it, as it might embarrass his hosts. He saw a giant hairy man in the front, and went over to say hello.

"Oh, you must be Ezreal! Welcome to this hall. I am Sir T. Roll. To collect your prize, we must verify that you are who you claim to be. Please deposit your magical glove right here for a second. It won't be long."

Ezreal reluctantly took off his glove. As soon as he took it off, however, he saw a column of ice freeze around him, and then nothing. As the "ceremony" workers carried Ezreal off, no one noticed a little gasp from the bundle of rags in the corner.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The great forests of Runeterra were a maze to almost any being to lived on the planet. Teemo, however, was born in the forest and knew it like the back of his hand. He navigated carefully through the forest, avoiding the twigs that cracked delicately and planting a trail of mushrooms along the way. He sneaked past rows of giant trees, until he arrived in the center, where there was a great clearing. There was a giant patch of grass with a giant, old oak in the middle. Teemo smiled as he saw his old friend.

"Hiya Maok! Nice to see you!"

The tree creaked as it opened its eyes, hidden from view by bark shields.

"My old friend, what may I do for you? You seem tired." The ancient voice rumbled.

Teemo gulped. "So, yousee, myfriendEzreal, Hesthatblondguy on therift that youbattlea lot, theone that shootsmagicalbolts, well hescapturedby this evilcorruption thingamajigy, you know,corruption like thatthingy from lissandra, whois" Maokai cut him short.

"My friend, I cannot understand what you are saying. Slower."

So Teemo, slowly and carefully laid out the whole story in front of Maokai. Maokai stood there so quietly, Teemo was almost positive he had fallen asleep, but he dared not make a sound. Finally, Maokai spoke.

"If what I think about these orbs is true, then this may be a very big disaster indeed. Long ago, back when I was a wee little sapling, there lived a great mage named Xerath. He had powers that no one had ever heard of, and could command the very elements themselves. He had one fatal flaw, however: his obsession for magic. He couldn't get enough of it, and researched it, day and night, to find what he didn't know." Maokai paused for a second. "What he found out was the untouched gift of _phantasme_, or the gift of the undead. He cast it on anything dead he could find, and what he couldn't find, he killed for the study. Eventually, his magic wards told him that an army of mages was coming to kill him and stop him. In panic, he stored a part of his soul in each of four orbs, which he then magically flung around the world. Then, he prepared for his final battle."

Teemo asked quietly, "What happened?"

"The mages were almost completely wiped out, if not for one fellow named David Hastur. He suddenly threw out a flaming giant, cast using David's own life force, that sniffed out Xerath's life in one swipe. Annie, of the League, is one of his descendants and the one that inherited his amazing powers. To connect these orbs is to resurrect Xerath, which will pit one great power against another."

Teemo nodded. "So do you happen to know of the location of any of these orbs?"

Maokai nodded. "I believe the one you are trying to find, is in the lair, of the Ice Witch."

_Institute_

Ezreal struggled against his magical ice casing, not able to become free. Suddenly, the casing fell apart, but his feet were still frozen to the ground. He looked up and gasped. Lissandra stood above him, but she no longer looked remotely human. Her head was shaped with nine purple horns, and she held a glimmering sword of pure, dark, ice. What was most frightening was her eyes. Inside of them, they were void, with a deep color that was unseen on this planet.

She spoke with a crispy, cold voice. "Ezreal, you are to be the life source of the glorious takeover of the world. Your magical powers were very impressive as you defeated the Void some years back. Now, they shall become mine. In precisely 1 minute, I will stab this sword down and suck out your soul. You will not die, and your pain will fuel my powers. I am telling you this so your fear can increase your pain, and the world will die to the power of you, but inside of me."

Ezreal froze in terror. He looked around his surroundings. He was in a frozen cavern of sorts, and nearby Anivia perched, coldly watching.

Lissandra started counting, slowly but steadily.

10

9

_Ezreal's heart stopped beating. He was dead, he was sure of it. The world seemed to fade into a blizzard of neverending snowflakes._

8

7

6

5

_Ezreal's loved ones sailed past his face. The father and mother he had never known, Crystal, the one girl he had loved, His beloved Institute, his one and only home._

4

3

2

_Ezreal looked death straight in the eye. It didn't scare him. He couldn't help Lissandra that witch. As he stared, her face seemed to shatter…_

Ezreal blinked. Lissandra covered her face in agony, shrieking. He looked next to him, but a giant wall of ice blocked him out. Lissandra burst out of her frozen cage, staring at her opponent. Anivia.

The great bird stood solemnly. "LIssandra, you have commited too much evil. This world no longer needs you."

Lissandra smirked as she deflected the shards of ice that pierced through the air. "Silly bird, I have been draining your energy for months now. What can you do to me?" She lifted a giant chunk of ice that hurtled through the air, and landed straight on top of Anivia.

Lissandra smiled cruelly. "Now, time for you my little Ezreal. Pain awaits you. So much Pa-"

"AIIIIIEIIEIEIEIEIEi" the scream rang out through the cavern. Ezreal opened his eyes from the sudden flash of light that had blinded him. Lissandra stood in front of him, dress smoking and trapped in some sort of caging. _Lux's caging. _He looked next to him, and saw Lux, scepter smoking, firing bolts of light at Lissandra.

Lissandra coughed up a drop of blood, which froze instantly. "The Iceborn shall still live on, whether I die or not. But you shall pay, you shall pay…" She lifted her hands to the sky, and disintegrated into a pile of ash.

Ezreal smiled at Lux. "I knew you would come. Thank you." Lux smiled, but instantly stopped.

"Ezreal, is there something on my leg?"

Ezreal looked down, and nearly fainted. Lux's leg had melted away by an icy virus, and it was slowly consuming her entire body. He rushed over and held her in his arms.

Lux smiled at the warmth of Ezreal. "Ezreal, I have always loved you. Always. And to die like this, it feels like living at last." Lux smiled, and a tear dripped down her cheek and the light in her eyes faded, finally.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ezreal stood over the freshly turned dirt, staring at Lux's gravestone. _Lux, the brightest star in everyone's day._ He felt a tear trickle down his face as he thought about what had happened. Lux had died for him. Lux had loved him. He couldn't believe that his friend had loved him for all this time and he had never noticed. And now she was dead. Ezreal felt the pain burn in his chest. He wanted to scream and rip his hair out.

A voice came out of his communicator attached to his shirt.

"Ezreal, we need you here immediately. A giant monster has been spotted off the coast. And believe me when I say this, but we think it came from the Void." Caitlyn's voice poured out. "Our agent Teemo is currently deep inside enemy territory, gathering information. According to what we could find, they are trying to gather the orbs together, to harness the power of Xerath and control the world. So far, Teemo saw them placing a flaming red orb into a sealed metal box, and we know the location of one of the other orbs. We need you to research this immediately. A long time ago, a warrior named Aatrox used one of the orbs on his sword, and created it into a terrifying weapon. This warrior has left a trail of legends in the runes, and it's up to you to find it. Good luck." A soft beeping tone indicated she had hung up.

….

Ezreal poured over the olden texts, searching for any clue that could point him in the direction of the fabled sword. According to the legends, Aatrox had appeared across multiple time periods and locations, eventually disappearing. His last known location was… Freljord, 3000 years ago. Coincidentally, the start of the Iceborn. Ezreal took a moment to put on his parka, then quickly Arcane Shifted to Freljord.

The wind howled in his ears as he arrived. Everywhere was a stunning white, and in the distance, ice structures could be seen. They loomed menacingly, and Ezreal consulted his compass. _Yep, that's where I have to go._ He slowly trudged on into the distance, his footsteps quickly covered by the flurry of snowflakes.

As Caitlyn lay in her bed that night, she furiously thought about what she had done. She had sent Ezreal to his possible doom, and all because of her stupidity…

**Earlier**

Caitlyn walked down the halls of the Institute, making sure no one was making trouble. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow approach her. Quickly whipping around and drawing her rifle in one smooth motion, she looked, but saw nothing. Until she heard the voice behind her and felt the darkness enter her soul.

**Present**

Now Caitlyn was aware of her thoughts, but she couldn't change what she did. She couldn't control the urge to send her close friends to their death, or help them live. She was helpless. Caitlyn, the mighty, was helpless. She decided there was only one thing to do to save innocent lives.

…

Master Yi went out for his walk in the morning, completely unaware of the danger around him. He saw the yellow and warm sun, the beautiful blue pools, and someone hunched over the pool. Someone floating in the pool, facedown. It was Caitlyn.

…

Ezreal slugged through the broken ice, finally arriving at the temple's giant entrance after many hours of exhausting walking. He entered the room, only to find a giant statue staring down at him. Of Lissandra. He stared at the statue, eyes burning with such hate the statue almost melted. He walked through the great hall, remembering the door right behind him. As he reached the far door on the end, he looked back and saw a row of ice statues. _Hmm, I don't remember seeing them earlier. Oh well._ He walked through the doors.

Immediately, the doors slammed shut. Ezreal was in a pitch-black cavern, when suddenly lights came on in the corners. Out of the darkness stepped a woman. With her beautiful features on her face and an elegant green headdress, she could've been beautiful if not for her lower half. A gruesome snake tail exploded out of her waist, wrapping around and emitting poisonous fumes. Casseopiea.

"My precioussss Esssreal, I have known you were comings by the sssherifff of Piltover, Caitlyn. Ssssurprised?"

Ezreal was furious, but he wasn't surprised. To him, it was obvious that Caitlyn was a betrayer, just he hadn't picked up the details. When she asked him a lot of private information. Her phone calls with an unknown person, her "boyfriend". Even the fact she had forgotten to wear her hat one day. And yet, still, he hadn't noticed.

"Oh, sssweetie, ssshe wasn't doing it out of free will. Ssshe was following my boss, who wantssss to take over the world." As Casseopiea said that, her eyes turned a different, darker shade of color. The color of guilt, of desperation, pleading to Ezreal. At that moment, Ezreal knew Casseopiea was as evil as he was. It wasn't her choice to destroy the world.

Casseopiea summoned a giant monster out of a portal, which tilted its head back and roared. It's body was covered from head to toe with a thick cloth with magic-resisting properties, and in its hand was a huge bow.

Ezreal concentrated on his gauntlet, shooting a barrage of mystical energy at the monster, which did nothing but vaporize some hairs sticking out of its chinks in the armor. The monster shot volley after volley at Ezreal, and Ezreal barely dodged each one with his Arcane Shift. But he was getting tired, and the monster seemed to have an endless supply of giant arrows. Ezreal stopped. Giant arrows. He grinned, used part of his dwindling magic supply to chuck the arrows back at the monster, easily piercing through the magic-resisting cloth, which shred like paper. The monster bellowed, but it remained strong as it stood up with a cluster of arrows stuck in its belly. Ezreal smiled. He set the arrows on fire, burning the monster from the inside. Casseopiea laughed.

"Oh, preciousss. I have many more beassstiesss to sssend after you."

Ezreal wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead as he started to fight. As he killed a monster with evergrowing heads, he thought of why Casseopiea hadn't just killed him herself with poison. The chasing around of a giant snake which had grabbed ahold of his gauntlet left him from his thinking. And yet, as he finished off the giant demon dog, he thought of the answer. Casseopiea didn't want to kill him, but wanted to guide him. However, she couldn't help him directly, and she had to try to kill him. However, Ezreal had thought of the answer. Pantheon. He was the man who had done all of these things centuries ago, and he must be able to help if Casseopiea was going to lead him. He smiled, pressed his gauntlet, and shifted away from the temple.

**Hi! I think this story is progressing along at a good rate, but if there is ANYTHING (anything) that you want or like or dislike or etc. please review! It's amazing when I log on and I see a new person reviewing, and it helps me get motivated to write.**

***Btw, Pantheon is motivated off an ancient mythical hero which should be pretty easy to guess…**


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